Former senior political advisor Han Yong indicted for bribery

Han Yong, a former senior political advisor, has been indicted for suspected bribery, the Supreme People's Procuratorate announced on Tuesday.

The Nanning Municipal People's Procuratorate in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region recently filed the case with the Nanning Intermediate People's Court following an investigation by the National Commission of Supervision.

Han, 67, previously served as chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and as deputy director of the Committee of Population, Resources, and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee.

According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Han allegedly used his various official positions to seek profits for others, illegally accepting large sums of money and valuables in return. His previous roles included general-procurator of Songyuan in Jilin province, deputy general-procurator of the Jilin Provincial Procuratorate, deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, deputy Party chief of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CPPCC.

Prosecutors informed Han of his legal rights, interrogated him, and heard arguments from his defense counsel.

Han, originally from Jilin province, began his career in 1974 and joined the Communist Party in 1976. He worked in Jilin until July 2004, when he was transferred to Xinjiang, where he served as head of the Organization Department and deputy secretary of the region's Party Committee.

In January 2016, Han was appointed chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, a position he held until January 2022.

In April 2019, Han led the 20th central supervision group for combating organized crime in Yunnan province. During this time, several criminal gangs, including the notorious gang led by Sun Xiaoguo, were dismantled in Kunming. Sun was sentenced to death for multiple crimes, including rape, intentional injury, and organizing mafia-like organizations.

In March 2022, Han was appointed deputy director of the Committee of Population, Resources, and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee, retiring a year later. He was placed under investigation in October 2023.

In April 2024, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision announced Han's expulsion from the Communist Party, citing his lack of courage to engage in struggles, associations with political fraudsters, political opportunism, favoritism, nepotism, and interference in disciplinary and law enforcement activities.

On April 29, the top procuratorate approved Han's arrest on suspicion of bribery.